


An Alternative Fate

by Spooky_Spooks



Category: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fresh Start, Leaving Home, M/M, Millard Goes With Victor, Running Away, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:01:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26239771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spooky_Spooks/pseuds/Spooky_Spooks
Summary: What if Millard had gone with Victor the night he attempted to leave Miss Peregrine's home?
Relationships: Millard Nullings/Victor Bruntley
Kudos: 13





	An Alternative Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings are in the endnotes, just in case! :)

It had been a quiet morning, and Millard wanted to go into town, for once not to study its inhabitants, but to spend time with Victor. While he had been worried at first when Victor had shown interest in him, he had now come to like it, and return the affection in kind. Today, he decided, was for him and Victor to spend time together, without the interruption of any of the others. He put the book he had been reading back onto the shelf and walked to Victor’s room, a wide smile plastered on his face as he imagined how the rest of the day would go. When he arrived at Victor’s door, Millard raised his arm to knock only to have the door open quickly, revealing Victor’s surprised face. At first, nothing seemed suspicious until Millard noticed how antsy Victor seemed, and the bag he had slung over one shoulder.

“Victor? Is everything okay?” He asked, reaching out towards Victor to rest a hand on his shoulder.

“Millard!” Victor blurted out, surprise and anxiety present in his voice. “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine!”

Millard felt himself raise an eyebrow in response. “You’re a terrible liar, Victor.”

Victor sighed deeply, looking away from Millard and rubbing a nervous hand across the back of his neck. “I know. I was just really hoping I wouldn’t have to do this.”

Millard’s heart plummeted into his toes.  _ Was this it? Had Victor finally decided he’d prefer a partner he could see?  _ “...Wouldn’t have to do what?”

“Have this talk, I guess?” Victor admitted, stepping to the side to allow Millard into the room. “Have a seat, I have some things to tell you.”

Millard hesitantly stepped into the room and perched on the edge of the bed. He refused to look at Victor as he did so.  _ This was it, Victor was leaving him. Why wouldn’t he? It wasn’t like Millard was the type of partner you could show off.  _ “You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” 

“I’m really sorry,” Victor replied, breaking Millard’s heart with the unspoken confirmation. “Let me explain at least, okay?”

Millard’s throat felt tight and tears pricked at his eyes. “Okay.”

“I can’t stay here anymore,” Victor told him with a sigh. “I like you, so much it’s kinda crazy, actually. But I need to go, and I can’t take you with me.”

“What’s going on?” Millard asked, growing more concerned with every word. “Why do you need to go? Where are you going?”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Mill,” Victor tried to reassure him, reaching out to take Millard’s hand in his. “I just can’t stay here and let the world pass me by. I’m not sure where I’m going, but I’ll write to you once I get there.”

“I can go with you,” Millard replied, clutching Victor’s hand as if it were his only lifeline. “Just give me a few minutes to pack my things.”

“I thought about bringing you with me,” Victor told him, his voice laced with sadness. “I really did. But you know a normal life isn’t something we could have.”

“We could make it work,” Millard insisted desperately, only to pause when he began to get a bad feeling. “...Unless you don’t want that?”

Shock and hurt crossed Victor’s face. “No! Of course, I want that. But-”

Millard surprised both Victor and himself when he interrupted Victor to reply, suddenly angry. “But what? I want to go with you, so what’s stopping us from going together?”

“You can’t live a normal life, Millard!” Victor said, his voice raised in frustration. “You’re invisible!”

Millard stayed silent for a long moment as Victor’s words sunk in.  _ Of course, it was his peculiarity. Why would Victor want a life with someone he couldn’t see? It wasn’t like he could take him out anywhere. How much more would his invisibility steal from him? _

“I know that,” Millard choked out, wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground. “I just thought it didn’t matter to you.”

“Mill, I’m sorry,” Victor sighed, reaching out to comfort Millard again. “It doesn’t matter to me. But it will to the normals, you know that.”

“I can hide from them,” Millard told him, sadness and a hint of desperation still clear in his voice. “I just want to be with you.”

“I want to be with you too,” Victor replied, wrapping Millard in a tight embrace. “I just thought you’d be happier here, working on your book.”

Millard nuzzled into the space between Victor’s neck and shoulder. “Honestly, as groundbreaking as it would be, I’m sure I can find something else to occupy my time wherever we go.”

“Alright, if you’re sure you want to come with me, then go pack your things,” Victor told him after a moment, pulling away from their embrace. “I’ll just fix my note for Miss P to let her know you’re with me and then we’ll go.”

“Alright,” Millard smiled. “Should I meet you at the loop entrance?”

“I’ll see ya there, lovey,” Victor replied, giving Millard a grin and a kiss on the cheek before turning back to his desk and beginning to write.

Millard once again thanked the stars that his blush wasn’t visible as he rushed to his room to pack his things. While he was sad to be leaving the loop he had called home for so many years, Millard was excited to start a life with Victor. Still, as he was about to leave he hesitated.  _ Miss Peregrine had done so much for him, and he cared for her deeply. Didn’t she deserve a proper goodbye? _

Knowing she would put a stop to their plans if he were to say his goodbyes in person, Millard settled for writing a note.

_ ‘Dear Miss Peregrine, _

_ Victor and I have decided to leave the loop. I apologize for having to tell you this way, but I know you would put a stop to it were you to find out before we had gone. I feel as though I should reassure you that it is nothing we have against you or anyone in the loop. We simply cannot live with the knowledge that the world is changing and life is continuing without us there to experience it.  _

_ You were, and are, very dear to me and I won’t forget all that you’ve done for me. I’m forever grateful that it was your care I was placed under. You needn’t worry, Victor and I will take care of each other and we will write to you whenever we are able. Perhaps visit, if such a thing could be possible in the future. _

_ Thank you for all that you’ve done, _

_ Millard Nullings’ _

Satisfied with the note he had hastily written, Millard picked up his bag and gave one last look at the room that had housed him for the past few years. He said a silent goodbye to the home before picking up his bag and making his way to the loop entrance. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Victor there waiting for him. He had been irrationally worried that Victor would change his mind and leave him behind.

“You waited!” Millard called excitedly, running towards Victor and launching himself into the boy’s waiting arms. “I was worried you might have left without me.”

Victor clutched Millard tightly to him, planting a quick kiss on his forehead. “No, never again.”

The two stayed in each other’s arms for another moment before they parted and Victor broke the silence.

“Ready to go, lovey?” He asked, taking Millard’s bag from his shoulder and placing it on his own.

“Yes,” Millard held Victor’s free hand in his own. “Lead the way.”

The pair set off through the loop entrance, returning themselves to the present. They began their walk towards the town cheerfully, their joined hands swinging gently by their sides as they laughed and talked amongst themselves. This peace and happiness would not last, however.

The bushes behind them gave a loud rustle, and the sound of snapping sticks echoed through the otherwise quiet woods. Millard whipped around to look for the source of the noise, only to see nothing.

“Did you hear that?” Millard asked, stepping closer to Victor.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Victor shrugged, wrapping an arm around Millard’s shoulders as they continued walking. “I’m sure it was just a squirrel or something.”

“I don’t know, Victor,” Millard replied, allowing himself to be pulled against his boyfriend’s side. “I have a bad feeling.”

Victor grinned. “Don’t worry lovey, I’ll protect you. What could possibly happen?”

Then, as if on cue, a small tree fell over into their path, very clearly uprooted by some unseen creature or force.

“Is that a..?” Millard trailed off, leaning impossibly closer to Victor.

“A hollow,” Victor finished, voice hard. “Run!”

Millard listened, only waiting long enough to ensure that Victor had also begun to run before taking off himself. Millard tried to run faster than the hollow, but he could hear it’s footsteps getting closer with every passing second. A spike of fear shot straight through the core of Millard’s being when he felt a cold, clammy tendril wrap itself around his ankle and drag him onto the ground with enough force to knock the breath from his lungs.

“Millard?” Victor turned at the sound of Millard hitting the ground, only to panic at the sight of Millard’s coat (presumably with him inside it) being pulled into the air by the hollow. “Millard!”

Millard regained his breath and began to struggle violently against the hollow’s painfully tight grasp, to no avail. “Victor!”

“It’s okay Mill,” Victor reassured as he dropped their bags to the forest floor, looking around for something he could do to save them. “I’m here, it’s gonna be okay.”

Millard tried to calm himself, trusting that Victor would save him, but he found himself unable to as he began to feel the monster’s tongue lap at his skin, searching for a vulnerable part of his body to bite into. The hollow must have found his side to be appealing, as Millard was suddenly blinded by the pain of a row of jagged teeth sinking into his side. He thrashed and cried out, which only seemed to make the pain worse, but Millard couldn’t think through his blind panic.

Suddenly, there was a sickening crack, and a loud thud as Millard was thrown to the ground at Victor’s feet. Rolling over to see what was going on, Millard saw that Victor had uprooted a small tree and was using it as a bat against the hollow. The monster was still invisible, aside from the trail of thick, black blood dripping down from where Victor had hit the creature. The hollow let out a bone-chilling screech and turned towards Victor. Despite this, he continued to swing at the hollow, putting himself between Millard and the creature. 

After another firm hit from Victor, the hollow let out a deafening roar and knocked Victor off of his feet. Millard watched in terror as Victor was flung into the air, hitting a tree with a dull thud, unmoving. Without thinking, Millard rushed to his side, frantically shaking Victor’s shoulders.

“Victor? Victor!” Millard cried, his panic rising as he noticed the hollow’s now blood-soaked face turn towards them. “Please be okay! Please get up!”

Victor was deaf to his cries, remaining limp in his arms, blood slowly beginning to creep down his neck from a wound on his head. 

The sound of the hollow’s quickly approaching footsteps only increased Millard’s panic. “No, no, no no! Come on, Victor, wake up!”

He was desperate now. _ Victor needed to get up, they needed to run or they were going to die.  _ His thoughts were interrupted however, as the hollow wrapped it’s clammy tendril around his waist and lifted him into the air once again. His side seemed to tear anew as pain seared through Millard’s body. There was so much blood, he was beginning to feel faint.

_ He and Victor were going to die. Victor was going to die and it was Millard’s fault. Had Victor gone alone he could’ve outrun the hollow, he wouldn’t have had to risk himself to save Millard. If only Millard had tried harder to keep Victor home, then they could be in the loop, safe and snuggling in the garden instead of here, about to be eaten by a soulless monster. _

“Hey!” Victor’s voice rang out, raspy, and edged with pain. “Let him go you, soulless bastard!”

Millard was crying, both from the pain and in sheer relief that Victor was still alive. The hollow let out a roar, throwing Millard down as it turned to Victor once again. Millard tried to land on his feet but instead flung into a tree. His shoulder let out a concerning ‘pop’ followed by sharp pain from the joint before, finally, his arm went numb. He tried to push himself up in an attempt to give Victor the help he sorely needed, only to find he was unable to move his arm. 

He managed to maneuver himself into a sitting position, using his legs to push himself to stand, the tree at his back providing support. Looking over to Victor, Millard saw that he had once again grabbed a small tree and was using it as a weapon to face off against the hollow. This time, however, he was much less steady on his feet, likely due to the still bleeding wound on his head. The hollow seemed to be taking advantage of this and was inching ever closer, cornering Victor to a row of closely growing trees which would effectively trap him. 

Millard looked around frantically, searching for something he could do to help Victor stay alive, even if only for a few more moments. His gaze landed on a small rock. Picking it up, he hurled it at the hollow with all the strength he could muster. Millard breathed a small sigh of relief when the rock hit its mark, only to have his blood run cold when it turned to face him with a growl. 

_ Shit. Millard hadn’t thought this through, Victor was safe, but now he was in danger again.  _ He started to run, hoping to put some distance in between himself and the hollow. He could hear it approaching, could feel it’s breath on his back as it grew closer. Before he had gotten far, Millard was once again lifted by the hollow. The hollow began to lower Millard, into its mouth, judging by the breath he could feel on his face. 

_ This was it, he was going to die. To think he had begun the day thinking he was going to spend it with his boyfriend, only to be eaten by a hollowgast in front of him. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go, they were supposed to run away together. They should be having a life together -  _

Millard’s frantic thoughts were cut off when a splash of the hollow’s blood doused his face. He barely managed to spit the blood from his mouth when he was once again dropped to the ground. Startled by the jolt of pain his collision with the ground sent through his body, it took him a moment to look up. 

When he did, he saw that Victor had pierced the hollow’s throat with a tree branch. The hollow let out a gurgle, more blood sputtering from its mouth as it did so. It fell to the ground, presumably dead. The boys waited for a moment, holding their breath as they waited to see if the bloodied mass would get back up or show signs of breathing. When no such things happen, the boys release a sigh of relief. 

“Are you alright?” Victor asked, rushing to Millard’s side despite his own condition, running his hands across Millard’s shoulders and torso, taking stock of his injuries.

“I could ask you the same,” Millard replied, wrapping his still functioning arm around Victor and holding him tightly. “I’m alive, which is more than I would have expected.”

“I told you I would protect you, didn’t I?” Victor replied, giving a hoarse chuckle and returning Millard’s embrace. 

“I never doubted you for a moment,” Millard told him, a soft smile crossing his face.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed it! Thank you to A.K on discord for commissioning me to write this. :)
> 
> Warnings: Depictions of blood and injury.


End file.
